Foot and nail fungus remedies that really help

Fungus on the feet and nails is an infectious disease caused by various types of fungi.Infection occurs quickly, and the treatment of the disease takes months, sometimes years.Treatment of the disease is prescribed by the doctor after determining the type of fungal pathogen.Onychomycosis and mycosis often accompany each other, as the infection spreads from the nails to the skin of the feet or vice versa.

Causes, symptoms and treatment of fungus is a hot topic that interests many.The prevalence of the disease is high, the disease affects young people, elderly people and children.The disease can be treated if the treatment regimen is properly determined.Therefore, you need to know how the pathology develops and how you can be cured of it.

toenails cured of fungus

What is onychomycosis and mycosis, causes and symptoms

Mycosis is the general name for infection;Onychomycosis is an infection of the nail plate.Medicines from the same groups are used to treat foot and nail fungus.This applies to tablets, topical agents and injectable solutions.For successful therapy, it is necessary to strictly follow the rules of use of each drug.There should be no interruption in the treatment, because the fungal colonies multiply rapidly without the influence of drugs, and there are as many of them as there were before the start of the procedure.

The reasons for the appearance of fungi are the same:

  1. Infection from a sick person in public places, swimming pools, bathrooms and reservoirs.
  2. Using someone else's or uncomfortable shoes or contaminated hygiene items.
  3. Failure to follow the rules for keeping feet dry.
  4. Untimely treatment of sweating.
  5. Traumatic damage to the skin of the feet and the cornea of the nails.
  6. Improper use of medicines, especially antibiotics.

As systemic causes of fungal infections, doctors include disorders in the work of the gastrointestinal tract, metabolic processes, hormonal disorders, blood flow pathologies in the vessels of the extremities, diabetes mellitus and obesity.

Symptoms of foot and nail fungus are difficult to ignore because they cause great discomfort.Among them, the most common are:

  • itching of the skin on the feet, between the toes;
  • peeling of the dermis;
  • appearance of wounds and other damages;
  • nails lose their healthy color, become colorless and then turn gray;
  • the plaque thickens, takes on a loose appearance and crumbles;
  • the deformation continues until the cornea is destroyed and the infection enters the nail.

The symptoms gradually increase, but the itching starts from the first days of introducing the pathogen.

This is important!Medicines for foot and nail fungus should be used immediately when signs of the disease appear.Delay in therapy complicates treatment and causes dangerous consequences, including damage to internal organs.

Mycosis of the skin and nails has age characteristics - onychomycosis in children occurs in rare cases;adults suffer from it.Fungus on the feet occurs in all age groups.

What you need to know about the principles of disease treatment

For a complete recovery from a fungal infection, the patient must be adjusted to a long-term treatment that must be carried out after the diagnosis and according to the doctor's recommendation.Pharmacies sell many antifungal drugs, but choosing them yourself without consulting a dermatologist or infectious disease specialist means wasting money and harming your health.

For some, the treatment of foot fungus with ointment is effective, for others it is necessary to combine the application of external and oral drugs, and in the case of a serious stage and developed complications, injections are prescribed in combination with other methods.

Expert advice.The main requirement of complex therapy is the use of effective multifunctional drugs for the treatment of foot and nail fungus and disease prevention.Because spore viability contributes to disease recurrence.

Prevention can be carried out by disinfecting shoes with chloramine or formaldehyde.Mushrooms die after half an hour after exposure to these substances.

About the types of antifungal drugs

The pharmacy has developed categories of drugs for local use, which are sold in pharmacies and are available to customers without a prescription.This includes:

  • Creams, ointments, gels;
  • solutions, serums;
  • sprays, varnishes;
  • plasters.

They have a general effect, have a minimum of side effects and can be used by adults and children.The key to a successful fight against mycosis is regular use and adherence to the procedure.After visiting the doctor, you will know the manipulation procedure, how many times to apply the medicine, in what quantity, and you will achieve recovery from the disease.Usually, healing with topical medications occurs within 4-6 months.

If the infection is advanced, then local treatment of the fungus on the nail plates is irrelevant.A combination is needed - external drugs plus tablets.It is performed under the supervision of a doctor, as it has significant side effects.

About creams, ointments and solutions

How to treat foot and nail fungus, which local preparations, according to reviews by users and experts, effectively fight against colonies of microorganisms?The following list will help you answer this question.

  1. A cream based on salicylic acid at a good price, which is applied 3-4 times a day to the affected areas of the skin and cornea.If you do the procedure at night, wait for the product to be absorbed, then put on socks.
  2. Ointment containing undecic acid.The method of application is the same as in the first case.
  3. Formaldehyde for sweating feet, which kills the microorganisms that cause the spread of infection.Available as a solution.
  4. Boric acid + resorcinol - used as a means of removing nails affected by fungi, contains boric acid, which has antiseptic and drying properties.Apply to the skin where there is a fungal infection.The drug is used as a component of complex disease therapy.

Specialized products for removing damaged nails

In order to separate the cornea painlessly, specially designed preparations are used.

removal of fungal toenails

According to the characteristics of the doctor, the medicine based on urea, isopropyl alcohol and polyvinyl alcohol is not a medicine for the treatment of fungal infections.With its help, you can remove the affected plate without resorting to surgical methods.This alternative allows you to eliminate the diseased nail at home.

This effective drug promotes corneal convergence and restoration of the bed.It is saturated with stearic acid, propylene glycol, urea, triethanols, tea tree oil.The procedure is performed as follows:

  • the nail is steamed in the bathtub with the addition of a softening agent made of water, soda and soap;
  • solution concentration - 1 teaspoon per liter of water.components;
  • the foot is dried with a towel, and then the nail fold is protected with a bandage;
  • The product is applied in a generous layer without penetrating the surrounding tissues, and is covered with a bandage on top.

After 4 days, the bandage is removed, the remnants of the plate are scraped off.If it was not possible to remove the plate at one time, the manipulations are repeated.

The second drug works in the same way as the previous drug, but its composition is different - it contains the components PEG-40 hydrogenated castor oil, urea, beeswax and emulsion wax, glycerin;acid components - salicylic, stearic, as well as methylisothiazolinone, propylene glycol, mint, lavender and other esters.

How to treat onychomycosis with varnishes

treatment of nail fungus with nail polish

Antifungal nail polish is the most common product that can be used under cosmetic coatings.The advantage is concealing defects with simultaneous treatment, without negative impact on the body.In this way, it is recommended to get rid of the initial stages of the disease.Well-known brands of nail polish removers are:

  • Amorolfine.The principle of treatment is the destruction of the fungal cell membrane.Apply twice a week.
  • Rye enzyme filtrate - in the form of a serum, perfectly saturates the diseased tissue of the plate to the very bed.You can use it more often than nail polish, and do procedures daily, which speeds up the healing process.

The duration of varnish therapy is up to one year.Then you can use the products as a preventive measure.

Good to know!External drugs and varnishes will not help with complicated forms of mycosis.A comprehensive treatment algorithm is effective against advanced fungus.

Tablets

Treatment of foot and nail fungus with drugs in the form of tablets is indicated for the third stage of the disease, the appearance of complications and infection that penetrates the mucous membrane and other organs.A condition for the use of a complex of ointments plus tablets is the development of inflammatory processes and bacterial infection against the background of fungal colonies.

The group of antimyotics is considered to be an effective inexpensive drug for the treatment of fungi.These are effective drugs, but you can't buy them without a prescription because they have side effects.Therefore, the treatment regimen should be agreed with your doctor.

  1. Fluconazole.A local remedy to fight mycosis of the feet and nails in different stages.
  2. Ketoconazole is sold in every pharmacy without a prescription and is intended to eliminate skin infections.
  3. Preparations with itraconazole are expensive drugs that work against mycosis on the feet, nails and fungi on the mucous membranes.
  4. Preparations with terbinafine are medicines for advanced fungi;contain the active ingredient terbinafine (in the form of tablets or ointment), which kills many types of colonies, destroying fungi at the cellular level.

Common topical medications

An effective remedy for foot and nail fungus is salicylic ointment, which relieves inflammation and itching, easing the patient's condition.Sulfur ointment is in the same order - it prevents the spread of infection;both ointments cost a penny, but perfectly eliminate the symptoms of foot disease.

Castellani's fluid permeates the corneal tissue of damaged nails and kills the pathogen colonies.Use with caution;if it comes into contact with the skin, it causes burns.

Antifungal drops and sprays help fight the disease.

Clotrimazole is used for infections that have affected the skin of the feet and penetration of the infection into the mucous membrane.Available in the form of cream, ointment, suppository.

The treatment of fungal infection with the veterinary drug Creolin is permitted.It is used to treat infected areas, and after some time the product is washed off.It has an unpleasant smell, but it works against colonies of fungi, mites and other microorganisms.

The easiest way is to treat the diseased areas with iodine.Its antiseptic property is known to everyone;the solution kills harmful microorganisms, including effectiveness against fungal spores.

How to treat with home remedies

You already know how to treat foot and nail fungus, which drugs are sold in pharmacies.Baths based on oil, propolis, decoctions, infusions and other components that are prepared independently are used as additional methods against diseases.

Oil therapy

A good effect of reducing the risk of developing the infection you just got is the use of natural oils.Make a mixture of equal parts of tea tree oil and lavender.Add two parts of olive oil to the mixture, coat the nails and affected areas of the feet overnight with the resulting product.

the use of natural oils in the treatment of toenail fungus

Foot baths

  1. Lemon juice plus Listerine, apple cider vinegar.Mix all the ingredients in equal parts and add to the bath water.The concentration per 1 liter is three tablespoons of the composition.A daily procedure lasting 15 minutes will help speed up the treatment process and restore cells of the dermis and cornea.
  2. Soda baths are prepared according to the recipe: one tablespoon of soda plus 20 g of shaved laundry soap.Keep your feet in the bath for 40 minutes, during which time the solution penetrates the skin cells of the feet and the nail plate.
  3. Pink baths of potassium permanganate.The duration of the procedure is 20 minutes.
  4. Salt plus vinegar in a concentration of 100 g + 4 spoons per 4 liters of water.The salt can be table salt or sea salt.
  5. Hydrogen peroxide 3% - applied for 2 minutes, then a paste of water plus peroxide is applied to the nail, which is washed off after the hissing stops.

Folk remedies

They are effective in relieving the symptoms of itching, irritation on the skin of the feet, as well as around the inflamed nail.Provide support in treatment with pharmaceutical products.Independent folk treatment, without drugs, is not effective against mycosis.

To eliminate the risk of spreading the infection, celandine juice is used.Lubricate the problem areas, do not rinse the product.It is allowed to make several such manipulations per day.

Wrap the cut garlic on the affected area, keep it on the nail overnight and on the skin for 10 minutes.

Rub kombucha, melted propolis, or oak bark infusion into problem areas.

To restore the tissue of the skin and nail plates, make baths with decoctions of medicinal plants.To do this, use chamomile, thyme, nettle, calendula.

Conclusion.A wide range of pharmaceutical drugs, the possibility of combining treatment with local, oral and folk remedies helps to ensure that mycosis of the feet and nails is completely cured.This is a long process, so be patient and learn how to properly use the tips presented in the article.If you follow the recommendations, the unpleasant problem will be eliminated.